Curtis Hill has been cleared of ethical breaches, but the voices of these women deserve to be heard, writes columnist Suzette Hackney.

Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, a Democrat from Munster, had just arrived at AJ's Lounge, a bar south of Downtown, and was walking across the dance floor when she encountered Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill.

The bar was crawling with state legislators, staffers and lobbyists, all celebrating the March adjournment of the 2018 Indiana General Assembly legislative session, called Sine Die by political insiders.

The two elected officials exchanged pleasantries. Reardon said she greeted Indiana's top law enforcement officer "as cordially as I would greet anybody."

"Then he pretended like he couldn’t hear me and leaned in and put his hand on my back, slid his hand down my back and into my dress and grabbed my butt, essentially," Reardon said.

Stunned by Hill's behavior, Reardon, who was 53, said she told him to "back off" and then walked away.

"In my 10-plus years in and around the General Assembly, I have never experienced that level of disrespect or sexual harassment than I did by him," Reardon said of Hill. "No one has ever put their hands on me."

Reardon wouldn't be the only woman Hill put his hands on that night. Three legislative staffers said they had similar encounters with him — unwanted physical contact, sometimes coupled with boorish banter — that have left them feeling terrified and traumatized.

While a special prosecutor said he found the women's allegations to be credible during an independent investigation, he declined to criminally charge Hill because he lacked evidence that could lead to a conviction on a battery charge.

Hill has denied any wrongdoing. He insists he touched the women only in a courteous manner or to help them get closer to the bar. He has been cleared of any ethical breaches that fall under the statutory guidelines of the Inspector General’s office.

Still, I am telling the stories of Mara Candelaria Reardon, Gabrielle McLemore, Niki DaSilva and Samantha Lozano because their voices deserve to be heard. I have empathy for these women. And I remain outraged — as should all Hoosiers — that the man accused of subjecting them to such abuse and harassment is not being held accountable by the Indiana General Assembly.

Gov. Eric Holcomb and top leaders in the General Assembly have called on Hill, a fellow Republican, to resign. As lawmakers enter a new legislative season this week, such weak requests should be off the table. Instead, lawmakers must explore impeachment proceedings to force Hill from office.

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From left, Mara Candelaria Reardon, Niki DaSilva, Samantha Lozano and Gabrielle McLemore are four women who have made accusations of unwanted touching against Attorney General Curtis Hill, seen at the office of Katz Korin Cunningham in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018. (Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

'He felt that his power gave him consent'

Hill, who had been drinking at two locations before arriving at AJ's, according to the Inspector General's investigation, wasn't done with Reardon. About 30 minutes after the first encounter, Hill sauntered up to Reardon, who was wearing a backless dress, touched her again and made a comment about the skin on her back.

"I had made it very clear when he touched me the first time to back off," Reardon told me. "He got to my shoulders and I knew what was coming and I rolled out of it. At that point he knew very well what he was doing was offensive and he continued. And I really believe that he felt that his power gave him consent to do what he wanted."

Reardon said she thought better of further expressing her dismay with Hill that evening because "I didn’t know him. I don’t know if he’s a mean drunk, if he’s a happy drunk; I only knew he was a handsy drunk."

She said she intended to have a conversation with him the next day but instead headed home to Munster. After living in an apartment in Indianapolis for four months during session, she simply wanted to go home. She decided to compartmentalize her thoughts and emotions about Hill's actions and deal with it when she returned to Indianapolis for a legislative special session, scheduled for May.

In April, though, at lunch after an Indiana Black Legislative Caucus town hall meeting, Reardon was informed by Samantha Lozano that other women had been victimized by Hill, including Lozano herself. It was the first time Lozano confided in Reardon — or anyone else — that Hill had inappropriately touched her.

"At that point, I felt I had a responsibility to bring it to the attention of leadership," Reardon said. "It was bigger than me and it happened to more women than just me."

'You’ve got to show a little skin'

Niki DaSilva, a legislative assistant for Indiana Senate Republicans, was mingling with colleagues at AJ's when she saw Samantha Lozano and two other female staffers standing at the bar. She went to say hello.

"I think we were going to get a drink, and all of a sudden somebody comes up behind us and puts their arms around us. And I remember I recognized the voice and recognized that it was the attorney general," she said.

DaSilva said she found it strange that Hill had never acknowledged her in a professional capacity but was now putting his arms around her. DaSilva said Hill asked the group what they were doing at the bar and she responded that they were waiting to order drinks.

"And then he said 'Oh, you ladies haven’t figured out how to get a drink yet?' DaSilva said. "It’s not the first time I’ve heard that line before; I couldn’t believe that was coming from him. And I was really hoping that he wasn’t going to follow it up with some derogatory comment or crude joke. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what he did. His next line, when we said, 'No, we’re just waiting,' was 'You’ve got to show a little skin. Show them your knee'... And I literally remember my jaw dropping open."

DaSilva said she moved away from Hill and the group to a corner of the L-shaped bar because she was upset and fearful she might spark a verbal altercation with him. Their drinks arrived, and the other two women left. Samantha Lozano had been alone with Hill, and DaSilva said she saw Lozano abruptly sit down before giving her "the eyes" — the look women give to each other when they are begging for help to get out of an uncomfortable situation.

DaSilva, who was 25, returned to help her friend. But she was too late.

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Samantha Lozano, a legislative assistant for Indiana House Democrats, poses for a portrait in downtown Indianapolis, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. Lozano is one woman who has accused Attorney General Curtis Hill of inappropriate touching at a party earlier this year. "Every day for the past six or seven months I have wished that he would just say that he's sorry," Lozano said. "That he didn't mean it or that maybe he acknowledges that he acted in an inappropriate way, but that he's sorry and he's never going to do it again. Every single day."(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

'I didn't want him to put his hands on me'

Samantha Lozano, who rode with Reardon to AJ's, was walking behind the legislator when they first arrived. She witnessed Hill rub Reardon's back and grope her buttocks. And later that night, Hill would grab her, too.

Lozano, a legislative assistant for Indiana House Democrats, said she was excited because a bill that she opposed had failed, and she was ready to celebrate. She said she decided to ignore what she witnessed between Hill and Reardon and headed to the bar, where she spotted a couple of her friends and former bosses from a lobby firm.

When Lozano went to order drinks, she said Hill approached the group and asked her if she knew who he was. Because Lozano had witnessed Hill acting "weird" with Reardon, Lozano said she told him yes and that she had attended college with his daughter. Adding the information about Hill's daughter was Lozano's attempt to characterize herself as someone young and unapproachable.

Lozano, who was 24, said she was trying to get the bartender's attention and was making small talk with Hill. "I said 'It’s really hot in here.' And he looked at me. I felt very disgusted instantly. He said 'Yes, you’re really hot.'"

Lozano said Hill "pulled his hand around my waist, near the hip actually, going down and pulled me close to him, kind of like an embracing hug."

Shocked and embarrassed, Lozano said she distanced herself by sitting on a nearby bar stool with a back, so that he wouldn't be able to touch her back again. She also motioned with a wide-eyed 'help me' look to Niki DaSilva, who had moved to another part of the bar. She came to stand between Hill and Lozano.

Hill put his hand on DaSilva's back. She said she immediately felt uneasy and stiffened.

"His hand started to move, and as I felt it start to move down my back is when I tried to take my other hand to push his hand to kind of maybe have him recognize that that was not something that I was comfortable with having his hand there," DaSilva said. "That’s when he grabbed my hand by my wrist and with force brought my arm down with his hand and groped my butt before letting me go."

Lozano and DaSilva said they walked away from HIll in shock.

"I was really upset about that and kind of ashamed that I wasn’t willing to stand up for myself in that moment," DaSilva said.

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From left, Gabrielle McLemore, Samantha Lozano and Niki DaSilva are three women who say Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill harassed them at a party earlier this year, seen in downtown Indianapolis, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

'It was a very intimate rub on my back'

When Gabrielle McLemore, communications director for Indiana Senate Democrats, arrived at AJ's, she said there was chatter that Hill appeared to be drunk and "just wasn’t acting as someone should."

McLemore, who was 23, said she brushed it off until Hill approached her as she was sitting on a stool at the bar and asked her if she knew who he was. She said she did and Hill pulled up a stool to sit next to her — so close that her right side was pressed against the bar.

"I was still facing forward, and he was facing directly at me," McLemore said. "He asked me where I worked and what my name was and just started immediately rubbing my back, very intimately, not just a soft gesture. Not just a pat. It was a very intimate rub on my back and my eyes just went wide. I was like ‘What is going on? Why does the attorney general think that he can touch me right now?’"

McLemore said during this internal dialogue, she instantly blamed herself. Why hadn't she listened to those who warned her he was on the prowl? More pressing was her desire to get away from Hill.

"When I caught the eye of my intern, she was kind of suspicious. She couldn’t see that he was touching me because he was in front of me, but she definitely knew I was uncomfortable," McLemore said. "I just mouthed ‘help me,’ and I have no idea if he heard or not. He probably saw it. He was probably too drunk to realize what I was saying or doing. She immediately got up and came to me and said ‘Hey, Gabby, will you come to the bathroom with me?’ I was like, OK, good this is my escape. I stood up, didn’t say anything to him and just walked to the bathroom with her."

Curtis Hill's behavior in the early morning hours of March 15, 2018, deeply affected the professional and personal lives of Gabrielle McLemore, Samantha Lozano, Niki DaSilva and Mara Candelaria Reardon. An ensuing investigation would offer little peace.

Editor's note: This is the first column in a three-part series featuring the four women who have accused Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of groping them at a party in March.

On July 2, 2018, IndyStar published a confidential legislative memo that detailed allegations of inappropriate touching against Hill. The allegations were made by a lawmaker and three legislative staffers after a party on the final night of the legislative session. Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Niki DaSilva, a legislative assistant for Indiana Senate republicans, was the third woman to write a letter to IndyStar detailing allegations. In a July 12 letter, she said Hill put his hand on her back and then slowly slid it down her back. She says he put his hand over hers and placed them on her buttocks. Provided by Niki DaSilva

On July 10, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry announced he would seek a special prosecutor in the investigation into Hill. This is because the attorney general's office was representing the Marion County Prosecutor's Office in two lawsuits. Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

On July 18, attorneys announced their exploration into a defamation lawsuit on behalf of Hill. Kevin W. Betz and Sandra L. Blevins focused on differences between the legislative memo and the letters shared by the accusers. Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

On July 24, it was announced that Marion Superior Judge Lisa Borges ordered the appointment of Daniel Sigler as special prosecutor in the investigation of Hill. The attorney general had not been charged with a crime at the time of the appointment. Matt Detrich

Hill's defense attorneys initially fought the appointment of a special prosecutor, saying it would only "create the impression and fuel the speculation that there was a crime committed." Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

One of the women who accused Hill responded to the attorney general's initial statement: "This was a pattern of behavior that was witnessed by many," she said. While all four of the women have since come forward, this statement was given anonymously. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Sigler said a total of 56 people were interviewed by the inspector general and Indianapolis police. "Multiple eyewitnesses provided statements that Hill’s conduct was inappropriate, 'creepy,' unwelcome and made many of the women at the party uncomfortable," the report said. "Men and women from both parties, the political left and political right, provided accounts of what transpired that night." Matt Kryger/IndyStar

In the report, Indiana Inspector General Lori Torres, an appointee of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, said there also is not sufficient evidence to prove misuse of state property or ghost employment in the case. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

At the conclusion of Sigler's announcement, the four women who accused Hill of inapporpriate touching held a news conference to announce they would seek a civil lawsuit against Hill. Matt Kryger/IndyStar

Hill has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. A statement released by Hill's defense attorneys after the Oct. 23 announcement that he would not face criminal charges reads: "The special prosecutor's investigation exonerates and absolves Mr. Curtis Hill of any factual and legal criminal behavior." Robert Scheer/IndyStar